New superintendent selected (updated 12:15 pm)

Carbon School District officials announced on Thursday night at their retirement dinner that a new superintendent has been selected to replace outgoing Patsy Bueno.

Steve Carlsen, who is presently the superintendent at North Summit School District will be coming to Carbon this summer to take over the reins of the district.

"I have to say that I am impressed with Carbon School District and that is one of the reasons I appied for the position," said Carlsen from his office in Coalville on Friday morning. "I have looked it over and the district is solid financially, has good AYP scores and is solid in every way."

Carlsen who hails from Idaho originally, has been at North Summit for 13 years, the last 10 of it as superintendent, where he has a good record. North Summit District consists of three schools, an elementary, a middle school and North Summit High School. The size of the administration as compared to Carbon is much smaller too.

"We only have three people in our district office," stated Carlsen. "I am looking forward to the challenge of working in a district with 3500 students."

Carlsen said he was interested in the job when it came up a year ago and had looked closely at it but decided not to apply at that time for various reasons.

"But when what unfortunately happened this past year in Carbon and the job came open again, I decided to apply this time," he stated.

Carlsen said this is a good career move for him and he is looking forward to living in Carbon County.

"I am a real outdoors guy and the outdoor opportunities in the area will be great," he said.

Carlsen will replace Bueno who has been acting superintendent for nine months, after serving as regular superintendent for four years. She took over as acting superintendent after George Park was suspended last year pending some legal problems he had in August. Park and the district parted ways at the beginning of the year in an agreement that kept him on as a consultant through July 1.

Carlsen comes with some very good qualifications. He is a graduate of Bear Lake High School in Montpelier and then went on to BYU to obtain his Bachelors degree while playing football for the Cougars. In 1993 he received his Master of Education from Idaho State University. From 1982-83 he taught at Union High School in Roosevelt, then went on to Bountiful High School the next year. From 1984-89 he taught at Rigby High School in Rigby, Idaho and then at his alma mater (Bear Lake High School) from 1980-94. That final year he became the assistant principal at the school. In 1998 he was hired to be the principal at North Summit High School and then became superintendent of the district in 2001.

"I have been superintendent for 10 years at North Summit and I think it was time for me to make a change," he said. "My kids are all here in Utah and I want to stay here. This is 100 percent a career move for me."

Carlsen and his wife Grace have six children, the youngest of which graduated from North Summit last year.